2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera Season Presents Four New Productions

Summary: The 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season presents four new productions, including the North American premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie.

Metropolitan Opera-commissioned psychological opera Marnie makes its North American premiere October 2018: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018

The 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season presents four new productions, comprising the North American premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie and new stagings of Francesco Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila and Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.

On Monday, Sept. 24, the 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season opens with a new staging of Samson et Dalila by French Romantic Era composer Camille Saint-Saëns (Oct. 9, 1835-Dec. 16, 1921). The three-act, French-language opera was last performed at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2005-2006 season.

Darko Tresnjak directs the Biblical opera’s new staging. The Serbian-American theater director and producer’s direction of Samson et Dalila marks his Metropolitan Opera debut. Darko Tresnjak’s production team comprises Alexander Dodge, set designer; Linda J. Cho, costume designer; Donald Holder, lighting director; Austin McCormick, choreographer.

The new production replaces the staging directed by Elijah Moshinsky. The Australian opera and theatre director’s production debuted Feb. 13, 1998, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 177th performance of Samson et Dalila.

Marnie opens Friday, Oct. 19, as the North American premiere of American contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly’s Metropolitan-Opera commissioned, psychological opera. The two-act opera is based on English novelist Winston Graham’s same-named novel (1961), which inspired English film director and producer Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s same-named film (1964).

Michael Mayer directs the new production. The American stage and film director debuted Jan. 28, 2013, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 842nd performance of Rigoletto by 19th century opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). His production team comprises Julian Crouch, 59 Productions, set and projection designer; Arianne Phillips, costume designer; Kevin Adams, lighting designer; Lynne Page, choreographer.

La Traviata opens Tuesday, Dec. 4, as the second of the 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season’s five operas by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). In addition to Marnie, Michael Mayer also directs the new staging of La Traviata. The American stage and film director’s La Traviata production team comprises Christine Jones, set designer; Susan Hilferty, costume designer; Kevin Adams, lighting designer; Lorin Latarro, choreographer.

Michael Mayer’s new production replaces staging directed by Willy Decker. The German theatre director’s production debuted Dec. 31, 2010, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 961st performance of La Traviata. The Metropolitan Opera’s last presentation of La Traviata was during the 2016-2017 season.

Adriana Lecouvreur by Italian composer Francesco Cilea (July 23, 1866-Nov. 20, 1950) opens Monday, Dec. 31, as the 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season’s fourth and last new production. The verismo (“realism”) opera about a real-life 18th century French actress was last performed by the Metropolitan Opera during the opera house’s 2008-2009 season.

Sir David McVicar directs the new production. The Scottish opera and theatre director debuted Feb. 16, 2009, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 600th performance of Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Sir McVicar’s production team comprises Charles Edwards, set designer; Brigitte Reiffenstuel, costume designer; Adam Silverman, lighting designer; Andrew George, choreographer. Justin Way is associate director.

Sir McVicar’s new production replaces staging directed by Mark Lamos. The American opera and stage director’s revival production debuted Feb. 6, 2009, in the Metropolitan Opera’s 67th performance of Adriana Lecouvreur.

Mark Lamos’s revival production restaged and updated the production debuted Jan. 21, 1963, by Nathaniel Merrill (Feb. 8, 1927-Sept. 9, 2008) during the Metropolitan Opera’s fourth performance of Adriana Lecouvreur. The late American opera and stage director served as the Metropolitan Opera’s resident stage director for 28 seasons (1956-1985).

The takeaways for the 2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera season’s presentation of four new productions are that Adriana Lecouvreur’s and Samson et Dalila’s new productions revive operas last performed at Met Opera over nine to 12 years ago, respectively, and that Michael Mayer’s direction treats the 1950s Marnie’s North American premiere and the 18th century with the perennially favored La Traviata.

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s new production of Adriana Lecouvreur: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Metropolitan Opera-commissioned psychological opera Marnie makes its North American premiere October 2018: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160146381850533/

The 2018-2019 Met Opera season’s new production of Adriana Lecouvreur resuscitates an opera that was last performed by the opera house over nine years ago, during the 2008-2009 season: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160146381985533/

For further information:

“Adriana Lecouvreur.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352856 Adriana Lecouvreur {67} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/06/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352856

La Cieca (James Jorden). “The Advent of the Nézet-Séguin Era: Announcing the Metropolitan Opera’s 2018-2019 Season.” Parterre Box. Feb. 15, 2018.
Available @ http://parterre.com/2018/02/15/the-metropolitan-operas-2018-2019-season/

“Debuts: David McVicar . . . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353605 New Production Il Trovatore {600} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/16/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353605

“Debuts: Michael Mayer . . . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354827 New Production Rigoletto {842} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/28/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354827

Marriner, Derdriu. “2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera Season Stages 29 Operas.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 18, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/06/2018-2019-metropolitan-opera-season.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Composer Nico Muhly unveils his second new opera for the Met . . .” Facebook. Feb. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160146381850533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Soprano Anna Netrebko joins the ranks of Renata Tebaldi, Montserrat Caballé, and Renata Scotto . . .” Facebook. Feb. 19, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160146381985533/

“New Production Adriana Lecouvreur.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 3 New production Adriana Lecouvreur {4} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/21/1963.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=193000

“New Production Samson et Dalila.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330432 Samson et Dalila {177} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/13/1998.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330432

“New Production La Traviata.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353718 New Production La Traviata {961} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2010.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353718

Plotkin, Fred. “An Analysis of the Metropolitan Opera’s New Season.” WQXR > Blogs > Operavore. Feb. 15, 2018.
Available @ https://www.wqxr.org/story/analysis-metropolitan-opera-2018-2019-season/

Tommasini, Anthony. “A Catnip Role for a Soprano as a Tragic Actress.” The New York Times > Music > Music Review. Feb. 8, 2009.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/arts/music/09adri.html